Revamped HIL to start on Monday

Bhubaneswar: With changes in team combinations and scoring rule, the fourth edition of Hockey India League (HIL), which begins here on Monday, promises to be an unique and exciting affair in more ways than one. In the tournament opener on Monday, hosts Kalinga Lancers will take on Uttar Pradesh Wizards at the Kalinga Stadium.
The tournament this season will throw up new challenges for players, teams owners and the organisers. The players, especially, will be looking to make the most out of the tournament before the Rio Olympics later in August.
To add to it, with fresh auctions held last year new team combinations will be seen in action and it remains to be seen how the players adjust in their new franchises under new coaching staff.
At the end of a three-year contractual period, a fresh auction was held last year, which saw many players switching bases, including the likes of Sardar Singh moving from Delhi Waveriders to Punjab Warriors.
Moritz Fuerste, returning from a one-year absence, will be turning out for his new team Kalinga Lancers as the costliest player of the season.
The 2016 HIL will also have beefed up cash awards for teams and players, totaling up to a whopping Rs 5.7 crore. The league will also have a new title sponsor in Coal India after Hero Group decided against renewing its contract.
The league will have a new scoring pattern as the orgainsers decided to introduce an innovative rule to raise the interest level of the fans. As per the new rule, one field goal will be counted as two.
Ranchi Rays, co-owned by India limited overs captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, are the defending champions.
The tournament, to be held across six cities, will conclude with the final in Ranchi, capital of eastern Indian state of Jharkhand, on February 21.
The season opener promises to be an exciting contest as UP Wizards, led by star dragflicker VR Raghunath, will take on hosts Kalinga Lancers captained by star German midfielder Moritz Fuerste.
Both Wizards and Lancers will have new coaches. While Lancers replaced Jude Felix with Australian Mark Hager, the Wizards will be coached by Roger van Gent in place of Roelant Oltmans, who opted out from the post to avoid conflict of interest as he is also the High Performance Director of Indian hockey as well the chief coach of the national men's team.